1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, in general, to an automatic vending machine, and more particularly to a goods selecting apparatus and method for an automatic vending machine which enables control means to take necessary actions in case an user selects an article in error among goods stored in the automatic vending machine thereby preventing undesired goods from being extracted from the vending machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, automatic vending machines have been widely used in countries. The automatic vending machine keeping various goods therein such as coffee, cigarette, cake, and candy have a goods safekeeping chamber and determines what kind of goods can be vended by an amount or sum of coins inserted by an user.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical automatic vending machine. As shown in the drawing, the typical automatic vending machine includes a housing 10 for forming an external appearance thereof, and a door 20 which combined through a hinge and a front one surface of the housing 10 to close or open the housing 10. The door 20 is formed at the outside thereof with a door grip 30 for closing or opening the door, a coin insert slot 40 in which coins can be inserted for purchasing goods, a goods selecting part 2 having a plurality of selecting keys for selecting a goods being desired by an user, a display part 4 for displaying a selling possibility state of goods and the amount of the coins being inserted by the user, a goods extracting part 15 for extracting the selected goods, and a coin return part 70 for returning the change after having been extracted goods.
In these automatic vending machines, when coins are inserted into the automatic vending machine and a selecting button to select a goods is pushed by the user, the goods is extracted through the goods extract part of the automatic vending machine.
As shown in FIG. 2, the goods selecting apparatus of the conventional automatic vending machine includes a coin detecting mechanism 1 for providing a detected signal according to a state of inserted coins and the amount of the coins to be inserted to the automatic vending machine, a goods selecting part 2 for selecting a predetermined article among goods stored or provided therein, a control part 3 for generating a control signal to display a selling possibility state of goods befitting the inserted coins and the amount of the coins according to the detected signal from the coin detecting mechanism 1 and to extract the goods selected from the goods selecting part 2, a display part 4 for displaying the total inserted amount of money and a selling possibility state of the automatic vending machine according to a display control signal from the control part 3, and a goods extracting part 5 for extracting a selected goods according to a extracting control signal output from the control part 3.
Now, a good selecting and operating process of the conventional automatic vending machine will be explained hereinafter.
When coins are inserted through a coin inserting slot(not shown), condition of the coins or the bill and the amount of coins or bill are detected by a plurality of sensors(not shown) of the coin detecting mechanism 1 and a signal detected therefrom is provided to the control part 3. The control part 3 generates a control signal for displaying the total amount of the inserted coins according to the detected signal from the coin detecting mechanism 1 and outputs to the display part 4. The display part 4 displays a selling possibility state according to the control signal from the control part 3 in case the total inserted amount of inserted coins exceeds the price of the goods stored in the automatic vending machine.
After the selling possibility state of the goods shown in the display part 4 has confirmed, a selecting button is pushed by the user to cause the selected goods to be extracted from the automatic vending machine.
A button signal corresponding to the goods selected from the goods selecting part 2 is provided to the control part 3. At this time, the control signal for extracting the selected goods is generated from the control part 3.
Accordingly, the user can any time obtain his own desired article among the goods stored in the automatic vending machine through the goods extracting part 5, according to the control signal output from the control part 3.
In the control part 3, the coins inserted into the coin detecting mechanism 1 and the selling price of goods are compared to determine whether they match each other and if change is available, a control signal is generated to return the change. That is, the change is delivered to a coin delivery part(not shown) by a return signal generated from the control part 3. Thus, the user receives the change from the vending machine.
Subsequently, the control part 3 compares a selling price and a selected goods in view of the inserted coins, and checks if there is needed to return any change. If there is needed to return some change, the control part 3 generates a control signal to return the change to the coin detecting mechanism after having checked the presence of the change. The change from the coin detecting mechanism 1 is returned to the coin return part 70 according to the control signal from the control part 3.
However, there is a problem in the above automatic vending machine in that, when the user uses the vending machine, and if the user mistakenly pushes the button corresponding to a goods he does not want, the user should obtain undesired goods, since it is impossible to cancel the push of button.